Value Chains research report Tajikistan final - Microfinance Centre

As the table shows, apricots are present in the market for three months; for farmers, this
period is reduced to one month only. The farmers can sell their product fresh – to
merchants or to canning factories for processing. The third and the most commonly
used approach are drying which extends the shelf life for apricots and makes them a
commodity.
Factors affecting apricot pricing:
• Short life-cycle, cannot be stored for long periods,
• Apricot pricing is based on the Russian market
• Yield (for example, 2008 yield was the highest),
• Pressure on pricing via negotiations with canning factories.
5.1.1 Fresh Apricots
The Sub-sector Characteristics of Fresh Apricots
Early apricots ripen in May. This early variety is consumed fresh and is not
suitable for drying. Initially this variety was expanded for demand of canning factories,
but currently the purchase price of approximately 50 diram/kg. However, even with this
low price not all canning enterprises are ready to buy the fruit due to low content of
sugar, resulting in higher canning costs. Since a large amount of early apricots ripen
within a short time, most of them cannot be consumed in the domestic market. With no
cold storage facilities available to extend the shelf life, farmers are forced to send the
apricots for processing to avoid them spoiling. In some districts this variety of apricot is
fed to cattle, as the price offered by canning factories does not justify the costs of
harvesting and transportation. During our research, we heard repeatedly that orchards
with early apricots are being replaced with the varieties more suitable for drying.
Other than variety, apricot ripening time also depends on the climatic area. The
most suitable climate for early ripening is in Kanibadam, then Asht and Isfara. The latest
ripening time for apricots is in the mountainous areas, including Zeravshan Valley and
mountain villages in Asht district.
Between the time when early varieties ripen and other types are ready, the prices
of apricots rise in the local market. Thus, storage facilities can be used for selling
products in this period 4 . Fresh apricots of later varieties are harvested in June and early
July. In this period the population starts consuming the fruit actively and canning for
winter. However, this period is short. To saturate the domestic market, apricots can be
brought from the orchards located higher in the mountains. However, this type of apricot
is not suitable for export in fresh form to Russia and Kazakhstan, as it cannot compete
with the fruit arriving to the Russian market from Northern Kyrgyzstan, Southern
Kazakhstan and the Caucasus, Europe.
Sale of fresh apricots has a great potential for growth and for higher profits, but
growers and marketers are not experienced and skilled enough to run this type of
business. This is a growing subsector, which needs support and expansion. Despite the
4 At the moment survey is going the construction the cool storage facility for apricot in Asht district with support of
Productive Agriculture Project, USAID.
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